Electric battery connection



Jan. 2, 1934 w. H. WRIGHT ELECTRIC BATTERY CONNECTION Filed Jan. 17, 1933 Bnvcntor WILLIAM H.WRIGHT attorney 3 Patented Jan. 2 1934 r William- H. wright, Columbus, Ohio mplication January 17, 1933. Serial No. 652,175

4 Claims.

This invention relates more particularly to means for connecting an electrical conductor to a terminal or post of a storage battery.

Heretofore the connection in common use has 75, consisted of a clamp for the terminal held by a threaded bolt and nut which becomes rapidly corroded and ineffectual by reason of the accumulation of deposit from the electrolyte and very diflicult to remove without destruction of or injury to the battery.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved connecting device of simple, economical and effective construction that may be quickly and easily applied or removed without the use of l5 a wrench or other. tool and without destruction of the connecting device or injury to the battery. A further object is the provision of a construction whereby the destructive efiects of the electrolyte deposit on the whole connection is lessened.

2 Q ;;Further objects will appear from the disclosure.

The invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described, the features of novelty being finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure l is a top plan view of my invention applied to a battery terminal, the latter being shown as projecting through a portion of the battery cover.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same with parts in section.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the clamping lever member.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of a shim used in the construction.

j In the views 5 designates a battery terminal or post, in the instance shown, the negative or grounding terminal, 6 designates the battery cover; and 7 the cap for the opening through which water is supplied to the electrolyte.

i0 8 designates a terminal clamping yoke, it being -formed of a strip of flat metal having a bend that embraces one side of the terminal or post 5. The legs of the yoke are diverged from the bend to provide space between them ample to permit the -yoke to be first applied around the post remote from the bend and then drawn, as hereinafter described, into electrical contact with the post at said bend.

Each of the legs of the yoke is providedwith a 50. slanting slot 9, the lower end of which is rounded to constitute a bearing.

The cam device is made of a stout round wire or rod of bendable metal bent into yoke form to provide a middle curved cam portion 10, hearing ;11, and legs 12 with feet 13.

14 designates a shim of metal bent to fit against the side of the post or terminal opposite that occupied by the bend of the yoke member 8.

15 designates a grounding cable usually a ribbon of wire or laminated copper, clamped between 9 strips 16 by bolts and nuts to another piece 17 of copper or brass which in turn is looped around and secured to a pin 18 riveted to and connecting the ends or" the legs of the yoke 8. The surfaces of the yoke 8 and shim are roughened where they 65, engage the post or terminal to insure good electrical contact.

In practice the yoke 8 is first applied to the post and then the cam member inserted in upright position (see Fig. 1) to engage its bearings with the bearings of the slots 9. The shim is then inserted into its position between the cam lever and post and the cam lever pressed down so that the cam portion of the cam lever contacts with the shim. Further pressure on the cam lever until the feet thereof touch, or nearly touch, the top of the cover 6, causes the yoke 8 and shim 14 to move toward each other and into tight contact with the post or terminal thereby insuring electrical conductivity. In this tight- 8 ened position the cam portion of the cam lever bites a little into the shim and is sprung slightly below the horizontal line of the cam portion, hence the lever is latched, the inclined wall of the slots cooperating, so as to require considerable lifting force to release the clamp lever and shim.

The construction is such that the usual corrosive destruction of the cable is largely avoided by the remoteness of the connection of the cable with the legs of the yoke 8.

In the event of reduction by corrosion of the size of the post, or the contacting surfaces of the yoke 8, shim 14 and the cam portion of the cam member the latter portion can be further bent or pressed inward and extended to com pensate for such reduction to secure a tight clamping of the clamped parts. With this construction also no soldering or brazing is required to fasten the cables to the clamping device.

The forms of the parts can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

l. A battery terminal connector including a yoke member to receive a conductor, said yoke member having a bent portion to contact with one side of said terminal, the legs of said yoke member having slot bearings, a removable shim between said legs to contact with the opposite side 110 of said terminal, and a bent wire cam member fulcrumed in said bearing and removable lateral1y therefrom and adapted to thrust said shim into contact with the opposite side of said terminal.

2. A battery terminal connector including a yoke member to receive a conductor and having a bent portion to contact with one side of said terminal, the legs of said yoke member having a slot bearing from which the yoke is laterally removable, a shim to contact with the opposite side of said terminal, and a bent cam member fulcrumed in said bearing adapted to draw both the yoke and shim into contact with said terminal.

3. A battery terminal connector including a yoke member to receive a conductor, said yoke having a bent portion to contact with one side of said terminal, a shim to contact with the opposite side of said terminal, the legs of said yoke member diverging from each other from said bent portion and having open ended slots forming a bearing and a bent wire cam member fulcrumed in said bearing in position to thrust said shim into contact with the opposite side of said terminal.

4. A battery terminal connector including a yoke member to receive a; conductor, said yoke member having a bent portion to contact with one side of said terminal, a shim to contact with the opposite side of said terminal, the legs of said yoke member having a bearing and a bendable wire cam member fulcrumed in said bearing and removable therefrom and in position to thrust said shim into contact with the opposite side of said terminal.

WILLIAM H. WRIGHT. 

